Andreia JenningsExistential - Integrative Psychotherapist

I am an Existential-Integrative Psychotherapist. I’ve worked in different mental health settings since 2007 and have been in private practice for 5 years.

My process of self discovery

When studying for my first degree (BA Philosophy) I grew interested in the works of the existential philosophers and writers. I read widely in the existential literature and found the ideas stimulating and relevant to many experiences and situations in life. When I decided to become a psychotherapist I trained at a school specialising in the existential approach. I gained an MA in Existential Psychotherapy; my training was a process of self-discovery and I was able to explore the field further.

I know how painful a bad relationship with food and one’s body image can be

My approach to psychotherapy

As a psychotherapist I draw upon my existential training and on the phenomenological method, which allows my clients and I to gain an understanding of their way of ‘being-in-the-world’. I also draw upon ideas from other disciplines within psychotherapy, and complement my practice with insights from these approaches.

The existential approach is a holistic approach, which takes into consideration all aspects of a person’s life:

Social - our relationship with the social environment, our interactions, how we relate to others

Psychological - the way we are within ourselves, how our personal world feels to us, how we are in connection with our past and our future

Spiritual - how we relate to the unknown

The existential approach is a holistic approach which takes into consideration all aspects of a person’s life.

My own experience of emotional eating

My interest in eating disorders arises from my own experience of ‘emotional’ eating. It took me many years of self-exploration to reach a place where I now feel content within my own body and I am able to enjoy food without feeling any shame or guilt.

I know how painful a bad relationship with food and one’s body image can be and I like helping others to get out of this circle of pain. An unsatisfactory / anxious relationship with food, and an unhappy experience of our own bodies, are complex issues, which can be untangled by looking at our whole experience of ‘being-in-the-world’ as a person.

Membership of Professional Bodies

Services I Provide at WeightMatters

A Breakthrough Day with Andreia

If you would like to make sense of your eating behaviour and relationship with food, I am available for a Breakthrough Day. Understand how your weight, food, eating and body are linked in an unhealthy self-sabotaging pattern of thinking, feelings and behaviour. Take home skills, tools and resources to help you make changes in the way you manage food and eating.